These unwanted concrete behemoths are spreading like cancer in my beloved Prince William County - my HOME. Your approval of this preposterous variance would only add to the damage already done by this reckless, shortsighted and irresponsible Board and would constitute and unconscionable dereliction of your specific duty to "protect and enhance the environment of Virginia in order to promote the health and well-being of the Commonwealth's citizens, residents and visitors...". If you were to actually approve this request at the behest of deep-pocketed tech companies/developers and, perhaps, this curiously data center-hungry Board, you would be selling out the very citizens of this Commonwealth you are charged with protecting. 

While the fight will go on to stop this ill-conceived industrial blight onslaught in our neighborhoods, we are already faced with a plethora of negative impacts affecting our quality of life - that which we moved here specifically for over two decades ago - and now we are going to also be subjected to an astounding amount of toxic diesel exhaust that is known to cause a number of health problems? There should be no debate here and private citizens deserve your protection. I did not buy a house in the middle of a truck stop the size of Dulles airport for a reason!

How about our Board not going down this foolish path to begin with in such a rushed and haphazard way to even cause this issue to be debated?! This is just one of so many questions/issues this Board did not have an answer/solution for in their concerning haste to put as many of these massive, power-hungry, polluting bunkers next to residential communities, schools, and sensitive cultural and historical sites. Imagine the odd notion of putting these things in specifically designated(!) industrial areas? The Board was told by constituents and various "experts" that the electrical infrastructure could not handle the significant power needs of all of these new facilities yet they approved them anyway while  ignoring all of the countless other concerns raised over the environment, quality of life, etc. as well.

We, the citizens, should not bear the further burden that would be imposed by this variance because of the Board's questionable agenda and, at best, amateurish actions. Thorough, diligent and untainted evaluation by this Board as well as actually listening to the views of the majority of their constituents instead of caving to big-money corporate influence to chase tax dollars that wont be there while our County is being destroyed in the process would've prevented this power predicament altogether.

So much for the welcomed and responsible Resolution No. 20-773, passed just over two years ago, for regional climate mitigation and resiliency by the very Board members causing these problems: Wheeler, Angry, Bailey, Franklin and Boddye. I guess they don't feel (or have already "forgotten" about the Resolution) that having thousands of diesel generators running day and night for months will impact their admirable climate goals set in 2020. Adding insult to injury, it would appear the operators of these facilities will actually be paid to run these generators?!

Please say NO to this variance request and fulfill your stated mission to protect citizens, especially those that are more susceptible to airborne toxins like some of my family members.  No diesel generators; no more pollution; no noise.  If there is not enough power currently then they should not be built until there is...or not at all - period.  Those that die or develop health conditions from harmful diesel exhaust will not care much about the internet possibly being limited periodically.  We need a "competent adult in the room" to step up and put an end to this madness.  The citizens have already given up too much...against their will...and we will not give up our clean air now! 

Thank you for taking the time to read my thoughts and please feel free to reach out to me for further comment. I hope that you will make the responsible decision to deny this variance request to protect the citizens of this County and this region.

Respectfully,

Doug Collins

From the heavily impacted, and now finally represented, Gainesville District